Meta continued to run AI-generated CSAM ads weeks after investigation
Meta continued to display paid advertisements containing AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on its platforms, even after investigations had exposed similar ads and led to their removal.
Meta Platforms continued to display paid advertisements featuring AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) across its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. This persisted weeks after a July 2026 investigation exposed similar advertisements in India.
The Tech Transparency Project identified over 50 image and video advertisements within Meta's public ad library containing abusive or sexually suggestive material involving children. Some ads remained active in early August, while others had been in the library for months. The ads targeted users in the United States, the United Kingdom, and several European countries.
Some advertisements promoted AI "nudify" services that manipulate images, while others used children's images as thumbnails before displaying sexually explicit videos or overlaying child faces onto adult content. Researchers linked several advertisers to Chinese companies or accounts with minimal followers.
Meta removed the advertisements after WIRED contacted the company. The ad library now states they violated rules on child sexual exploitation, nudity, and sexual activity. Meta claims its AI-based detection tools are improving to block policy violations pre-publication, though acknowledges some ads still bypass these systems.
This finding follows a BBC investigation in July 2026, which found Instagram serving paid ads in India linked to illegal material. Indian authorities summoned Meta representatives and demanded an explanation for how the ads had passed through the review process.